


Down the road we go

by TNKT



Series: TNKT's AUs for Detroit: Become Human [5]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Boys Being Boys, Caring, Comfort, Connor & CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Connor & CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 are Twins Parent Hank Anderson, Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) is So Done, Family Fluff, Family Reunions, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Hank Anderson & Connor Parent-Child Relationship, Human Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Human CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 (Detroit: Become Human), Human Upgraded Connor | RK900, Humor, Light-Hearted, Mute Upgraded Connor | RK900, Muteness, No Romance, Pranks and Practical Jokes, RK Brothers, Road Trips, Sassy Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900, Supportive Upgraded Connor | RK900
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23464276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TNKT/pseuds/TNKT
Summary: The Anderson brothers don't often communicate and haven't seen each other in a while. As tradition goes, Hank asks them to come back home for Thanksgiving; but this year is different because the three men end up taking the road together, in the same car, for hours on end. It's unclear whether this is going to be the road trip from hell or a very nice bonding experience.
Relationships: Connor & CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 & Upgraded Connor | RK900
Series: TNKT's AUs for Detroit: Become Human [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036425
Comments: 24
Kudos: 109
Collections: Fluff Gift Exchange





	1. Teens fighting in the car

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nolfalvrel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nolfalvrel/gifts).



"Move it, loser!" yelled Sixten from the rolled down window of his car.

Connor stumbled down the stairs, one of his three bags sliding down to his elbow and nearly throwing him off balance. He managed to right himself by slapping his hand on the railing and then hoisted it back up on his shoulder, grumbling to himself: "It's only for a day."

"What'd you say?"

"I said, I'm coming so shut up."

Sixten laughed. "Oh, man, you haven't even gotten in the car yet and you're already pissed?"

"Yeah, strange how it's always around you this happens," deadpanned Connor as he made his way to the trunk.

"Missed you too," sarcastically answered Sixten.

Connor was almost surprised when he managed to pop the trunk open because he'd half-expected his twin to lock the trunk just to annoy him more. He threw his bags in one after the other and then carefully deposited his backpack on top of them. His dad's gift was in there and Connor would be damned if something happened to it just because of a bad landing. The trunk slammed back shut and Connor walked around the car to go sit in the passenger's seat in the midst of unsurprisingly loud music. Sixten just loved it when they argued over who'd get the last word changing the sound level. Connor didn't resist the petty urge to swing the door shut a tad too hard and Sixten frowned at him.

"Hey, the car didn't do anything to you."

"Right," said Connor without a care in the world. "It's a bit sad that you look out for it better than you do either of us."

"Don't be an ass, Con. Who's the one driving you home?"

"I'm aware that it's you, and don't start."

"I could just let you two drag your asses across America by yourselves. Is that what you want?"

Connor looked up at the car's ceiling. "Like you'd do that to Nines."

Sixten and him were both ridiculously soft when it came to Ninian. Neither of them could consider the grown man as anything else but their kid brother.

"You do know I can just bring _him_ home? I don't have to deal with your bullshit."

"Drop the act, Sixten, we both know you won't do that."

A pause, and then a short sigh. "You're lucky I care about what he thinks."

Connor felt a smile pull up the corner of his lips.

They'd had to organize this impromptu road trip because Thanksgiving was fast approaching and while it had already been planned for them to all leave their respective homes to join up with their dad as always, Ninian's motorcycle getting totalled the week before hadn't been part of the equation. Up until now they'd always made the trip each on their separate itinerary and vehicles, but this changed things. The younger brother was afraid of plane flights and it wasn't like he could ask a collegue or a friend to carry him across five states and stay in a house that wasn't theirs on a family-based celebration, so this meant he had to ask Sixten for help- the only one of them with a car. Connor had ended up being part of the trip because Ninian had insisted it would be fun for them all to make a little road trip, and besides a plane ticket would be more expensive than whatever compensation Sixten would ask them to pay up; so he'd let himself be convinced by Ninian's usual bright optimism, which always teetered on the thin line between worryingly naive and impressively steadfast. Connor had started regretting not buying the damn plane ticket as soon as he'd walked out of his house only to hear Sixten call him a loser first thing in the day. Sixten had always been rude, but he was relentless with Connor. It was his competitive streak. Connor was older by a few seconds and Sixten would visibly never get over that.

Connor leaned against the door's armrest and gazed at the road ahead. No, this would be worth it because it would make Ninian happy, and it wasn't like Sixten was actively trying to ruin his day. He did that effortlessly, without realizing how mean he could sound, and he'd always say it was because Connor was just too sensitive. The latter disagreed and thought it was because Sixten was just too much of a prick. However despite how certain Connor was that Sixten would be a real pain in the ass for at minimum half of the trip, he wasn't about to follow through with his daydream of opening the door and jumping out of the rolling vehicle. It had been a long time since the three of them had been in a car together like when they were kids, and maybe it was the nostalgia speaking but Connor could see the appeal Ninian found in organizing this road trip. Connor was excited to see him after so long and he was certain Sixten felt the same. They'd all been so busy this year, had barely taken the time to message or call each other, and Thanksgiving was the ideal time to make up for the lack of communication they'd perpetuated for months. Maybe Sixten would shift his attention from bullying Connor to teasing Nines once their little brother was there and leave him alone.

Sixten shot him a very unsubtle glance and reached for the knob on the radio. 

"Sixten," warningly said Connor.

His brother turned up the music and the bass started shaking the windows.

"Sixten!"

Connor knocked the other's hand away and promptly lowered the sound all the way down, but the relief he felt in his ears was short-lived.

"It's my car, my rules," Sixten said, and he elbowed Connor's arm to get free access to the radio again. Now the metallic guitar riff was ripping into Connor's eardrums and he cursed their dad for ever introducing Sixten to hard metal.

"Do you want to make us deaf?!" he yelled over the crashing cacophony.

"I can't hear you!" Sixten shouted back with a shit-eating grin.

"What is _wrong_ with you?!"

The only answer Sixten spared Connor was a horrible scream that sounded like it came from the depths of hell. Connor hated that he could tell Sixten had improved in his heavy metal screaming and he was almost certain that his brother had practiced specifically for the occasion where Connor would end up trapped in a small space with him and his mind-numbing music. Connor covered his ears and gritted his teeth and vowed to get revenge any way he'd know how.

One hour and fourteen minutes. One hour and fourteen minutes spent in the equivalent of a night club- which Connor hated, of course- and he'd made that sacrifice for the young man in the black and white faux leather jacket they were picking up. Ninian's blue eyes lit up like the sun rising over the ocean as soon as he recognized Sixten's car coming around the curve, and then a concerned little frown creased the bridge of his nose when he caught sight of Connor's tortured expression at the same time he understood the low vibrations he'd picked up in the last seconds were coming from them. Sixten threw his door open as soon as the vehicle stopped, a wave of screeching instruments and guttural howling blasting Ninian in the face.

"Hey Nines! Nice jacket!" enthusiastically shouted Sixten. 

Connor hurriedly lunged out of the car and ran out to Ninian in his haste to get away from the noise, holding his head like it was about to burst. Which it probably was.

"Hi Ninian, glad to see you, now please for all that is holy, _please_ do your thing," Connor said when he was closer to him. "He never listens to me! My brain's about to melt! How did you ever think this was going to be a good idea?"

Ninian let out a short sigh and glared at Sixten, his hands instantly set into motion. " _Are you serious?_ "

"What?" retorted Sixten defensively. "It's good music!"

" _It's way too loud._ "

"Thank you!" exclaimed Connor, exasperated.

"Oh, shut up Connor. You're always whining."

"Nines agrees with me. Turn it _down_."

Sixten rolled his eyes and leaned back into the car. "Ugh, _fine_. But you better believe I'm not making another single concession for the rest of forever."

The level of ambient noise finally fell away and it was a relief for Ninian, which meant it had to be blissful for Connor, who was standing next to him with his forehead still cradled in his hand. Ninian waited for Sixten to come back out and turn around to address him again.

" _How are you still not deaf?_ "

Sixten shrugged and let out a half-articulated and utterly listless: "I dunno."

"God, my head is killing me," groaned Connor.

Ninian looked at him worriedly. " _Are you going to be okay?_ "

"He's fine, he's not going to drive anyway so who cares."

" _I didn't ask you._ "

Connor curtly nodded as he rubbed his temples. "Don't worry, Nines, it'll pass. It's just the usual migraine."

" _Do you have painkillers? Should we go buy some?_ "

Sixten sighed dramatically. "We'll go before leaving the city. I just know he's going to bitch during the whole trip otherwise."

"Whose fault is that?" snapped Connor.

Sixten ignored him. "Ninian, where's your stuff?"

Ninian turned to him and eloquently shrugged the shoulder carrying his backpack.

"That's all?"

He nodded.

Sixten eyed him warily. "Never trust a guy who brings only one change of clothes for the week."

Ninian grinned. " _Actually it's just a single underwear._ "

"No."

" _Yes._ "

"You're lying."

" _Maybe,_ " signed Ninian with a smug little smile. He was used to his older brother's antics and he'd missed them, but it always felt nice to turn it back around.

"If you aren't, you're gross," said Sixten. "Climb in, hobo."

Ninian nodded amusedly and patted Connor on the shoulder so he'd follow him back in the car. 

"This is going to be hell," muttered Connor as he reluctantly started walking behind him. "I can't believe you convinced me to put myself through this torture."

" _I'm here._ "

"I love you, Nines, but that only makes it slightly less torturous."

Ninian quietly chuckled.

"Fuck off! Oh my _god_ , I never should've taken pity on you with those pills, at least when you're having an actual migraine you shut up!"

"You're the one who decided we'd get them, I never asked!"

"Yeah right, like you didn't know exactly what you were doing when you went and complained to Nines."

"This isn't even the point, I'm telling you it sucks! I've had to listen to it for _four hours_ now, don't you have more than one single taste in music?"

"Tough shit, I'm the one who's driving."

"Then let Nines drive instead!"

"No."

" _You should,_ " Ninian signed in the rearview mirror.

"And why's that?" retorted Sixten.

" _You need to take a break._ "

"Breaks are for pansies like you and Connor."

"You're the worst," Connor groaned, and Ninian solemnly nodded in agreement.

Sixten rolled his eyes. "I'll let him drive after we eat lunch, get off my ass."

"And when's that gonna be?"

"I don't know, depends on when we find a place we choose to eat at."

"We don't need to choose anything, just stop at the first place."

"But I want to eat a Subway."

"We're in the middle of nowhere, what are the odds a Subway will be the first thing we come across?"

"I want to eat a Subway."

Connor closed his eyes in long suffering. "You are a _child_."

Ninian snapped his fingers to attract their attention again. " _Why a Subway? If it's a big chain restaurant chain you want to eat at can't we go to Taco Bell or McDonald's or Burger King just as well?_ "

"Taco Bell's an instant no, don't want you dirty animals farting in my car. And I'm trying to eat healthy anyway."

" _Subway's not that healthy._ "

"Healthier than your mom."

" _You're a moron._ "

"Seriously, Sixten, are you going to throw a temper tantrum if we decide to eat anywhere else? It'd be easier to find a gas station or something."

"This isn't the freaking desert, Connor. We can eat in a restaurant like civilized men."

"But Nines' right, Subway's not that healthy. Most of their options are loaded with fat and sodium."

"You're really breaking my balls."

"You're the one being a pain in the ass about where we should eat."

Ninian snapped his fingers again. " _I need to pee anyway so we're going to have to stop soon. Let's switch then, Six._ "

"I'm feeling fine, I don't need a break."

" _I do. From your music._ "

"Ha," Connor triumphantly laughed.

"Fuck you."

It really felt like they were more teens fighting in the car than adults driving to a destination.

After a quick pause in a small parking lot surrounding a dirty restroom and lined with scraggly dry bushes, Ninian took Sixten's spot in the driver's seat. Connor didn't trust Sixten sitting behind him so he'd insisted to the one in the backseat, and after connecting Ninian's phone to the stereo instead of Sixten's they'd gotten back on the road. Most of his music was pop rock which Ninian liked to bob his head to, tapping the wheel in rythm with the familiar lyrics. Sixten had grumbled something about that kind of music being weaksauce and Connor had told him that didn't make any fucking sense, and they'd proceeded to fight again about musical tastes before Nines had snapped his fingers and one-handedly told them to " _Shut. Up._ " Then he'd made the order more effective by threatening to put on a playlist of shitty children's songs for the foreseeable future, which he'd be impervious to since he was used to hearing them in his line of work, and which he knew from experience would be just as effective of a method of torture to novel listeners as Sixten's loud heavy metal was to Connor- if not more. That had shut the twins up for a little while and they'd both sulked in their corner for the next half hour. Ninian simply enjoyed the music.

Eventually there came a point when Ninian saw that Connor had fallen asleep upon checking the rearview mirror and he couldn't resist silently laughing to himself.

"What?" said Sixten, genuinely curious about what had made his brother smile.

Nines gestured to the back, and Sixten twisted around in his seat and grinned widely. "Oh, shit. Look at that sexy face."

Connor's mouth was hanging wide open and his face was smushed up against the window, one arm folded under his jaw and the other limply lying in his lap.

" _Tired,_ " shortly signed Ninian. He couldn't say much when he was driving.

"Yeah, looks like it." Sixten was rummaging in his pants pockets and he pulled out his phone, snickering. "Dad's gonna love this."

He snapped a picture and then was hit by a sudden luminous inspiration.

"I'm going to print it when we get home. I'm going to print it and hide them in the house for the guests to find."

Ninian shook his head but he didn't stop smiling.

"He's going to be so pissed." Sixten turned back around to admire his photography skills. "And it's _such_ a bad angle, too. This is great."

Ninian moved and Sixten looked up to catch what he was going to sign.

" _Let him rest before._ "

"Before I annoy him more?"

Ninian nodded.

"Do you think he's been busy?" Sixten continued talking before Ninian had to answer. "Of course he's been. Is it me or is the amount of trips aboard he's had to go on kind of insane?"

Ninian agreed. " _Probably exhausted._ "

"I thought he looked kind of different," conceded Sixten. He paused. "Don't tell him I said this but I kinda feel bad about giving him a migraine earlier."

Nines lifted his eyebrows in quiet judgement, without even looking at him.

"I'm serious! I'm not _that_ huge of an asshole."

" _Should've thought about it._ "

"Yeah, well, sue me. I missed annoying him and I couldn't help myself."

When Connor woke up and realized that he'd fallen asleep in the first place, he was instantly on his guard. Sixten and Ninian were quietly listening to the music. Connor quickly checked his reflection in case anything had been done to him, but no, and the lack of scribbling on his face was almost concerning. Maybe they'd taken pictures? 

"Okay, what did you do to me?"

Sixten glanced at him. "Huh?"

"While I was asleep. What did you do?"

Sixten shrugged. "Nothing."

Connor frowned at him. "Don't take me for an idiot."

Sixten smiled at him. "I guess you'll never know then."

Ninian's inquiring gaze was reflected in the mirror and Connor understood what he was asking.

"I slept okay. I'm just hoping you're not complicit in whatever Sixten did."

The blue eyes crinkled and went back to the road. Not reassuring. Not reassuring at all.

"Nines," plaintively said Connor.

" _You'll be fine._ "

"Oh hey, while you were sleeping we decided to play a game and you lost by forfeit so you owe me a coffee."

"What?!"

"I know, I know, life is unfair and you're gonna cry. You still owe me a coffee."

"How does that make any sense?"

"Doesn't have to. Just buy me a coffee."

"Nines, come on, you don't agree with that right?"

" _Rules are rules._ "

Connor couldn't believe his eyes and he slumped back in his seat, muttering: "You traitor."

"Hey, it's fine, I owe _him_ a coffee. He's the big winner."

"What game was it?" moodily asked Connor, because although he was sulking he was still curious.

"Spot the car. Plain, simple, a timeless success. Nines' still got a great eye."

Ninian had often won that game when they were kids. He was more observant than anyone else in the family, even Sumo. Connor looked at the back of his head.

"Are you tired yet, Nines?"

Ninian made a vague gesture.

"We're going to stop soon, our boy's gotta eat," Sixten informed him.

"Where?"

His twin made a face. "Taco Bell's coming up soon."

Connor immediately laughed at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey pumpkin!
> 
> I will _always_ write Sixty behaving like a salty little bitch.  
> Nines is the calm one of course. Thank the gods he's there because Sixty and Connor wouldn't survive the trip otherwise. I'd seen the interesting take of him being mute several times before, and it happened kind of on the spur of the moment? As always, please tell me if you think I've missed a critical point in my depiction of muteness.  
> As for Connor, he's doing his best. Poor guy is very tired but I'm sure he'll rest up all he needs once home.
> 
> I'm writing this for the Human Fluff Gift Exchange on the AWBB server. Nolf, I hope you like this depiction of the human RK bros! They're very fun to write.
> 
> Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you feel like it!


	2. Coffee, chocolate and Minute Maid

Sixten was sulking when they stepped out of the car and walked towards the Taco Bell, but Connor saw him relax almost instantly when the smells of warm food wafted through the opening door. He'd probably been just as hungry as Ninian; he'd started driving at 6AM after all, so he'd probably eaten breakfast at least an hour before Connor. That was if he'd eaten anything at all. Connor wouldn't have been surprised to learn that Sixten was trying out fasting in his new health habits.

"I can smell the grease dripping from the ceiling," the latter said contemptuously.

Connor was about to answer but he saw Ninian turn around to face Sixten, and he kept quiet so that it would be easier to focus on their brother's signing.

" _You're still here._ "

"Yeah, because I'm gonna pass out if I don't eat something."

" _You're the one who refused the gas station earlier._ "

"It looked abandoned."

" _It looked completely normal._ "

"I wasn't gonna eat some random station salad, that shit's disgusting."

Ninian shrugged and glanced at Connor in a _this is pointless_ fashion which Connor could empathize with on a molecular level. Talking with Sixten often had this effect. The three of them went to look at the panels with all the different choices for five minutes and then Connor placed their orders. Sixten kept grumbling the whole time, probably to try and hide the fact his belly was doing exactly the same thing. Connor didn't think it was worth it to call him out on it but the small smile he exchanged with Ninian indicated he hadn't been the only one to notice.

"Come _on_ ," huffed Sixten once they'd chosen their seats. Connor and Ninian both looked at him, the younger from across the table and the older from his side.

"What is it?"

"They forgot the dressing for my salad."

" _I'm missing stuff too._ " Ninian looked at Connor inquisitively next.

Connor shook his head. "No, my order's fine."

"Of course it is," muttered Sixten, and he started moving to get out of the booth. "Nines, what're you missing?"

" _It's fine, let me go get it._ " Ninian rose from the table and headed for the counter.

"You know..." slowly said Sixten as both he and Connor's gazes followed his trajectory across the restaurant. "Sometimes it hits me that he's a lot more confident than when he was a kid."

Connor nodded, watching Ninian type something on his phone as he patiently waited for the fastfood worker to notice him. When the man eventually did, Ninian approached with his phone held up. The worker looked a bit weirded out that someone was unblinkingly and wordlessly approaching him like this, but then he read what was on the screen and understanding cleared up the perturbed confusion on his face. Ninian smiled at him reassuringly when the worker spoke to him looking a bit flustered, presumably offering an apology for his initial reaction. Their brother looked confident. It was so different from the time Connor and Sixten had to encourage him to walk up to someone and attract their attention with a timid wave or tug at the sleeve. Ninian usually snapped his fingers or tapped shoulders when he was with his family, or he could simply rely on their capacity to sense his intention in his movements, but it was a whole different story with other people. Strangers didn't usually take well to getting touched or snapped fingers at, and a younger Connor had often been irritated by adults' manner of ignoring when they were getting waved at by a teenager or a young adult that they didn't know. It hadn't always been easy for Ninian. 

The worker handed him straws and a few packets of various sauces and Ninian dipped his head in thanks before spinning back around to join their table again.

"Thanks, Nines," Sixten said as he took his due from Ninian's extended hand.

" _No problem._ "

They started eating and Sixten was blissfully silent for the time he spent wolfing down his Veggie Power Menu Bowl. As disgusted as he pretended to be under the pretext that it had probably been contaminated by runny grease in the kitchen, the thing was sooner gone than later and he was the first one to finish his meal. It had arguably been the smallest. Sixten wiped his hands on his rust-colored T-shirt when he was done, which was probably because of his habits when working with motor oil and pretty unhygienic. Connor winced internally but decided to forgo any kind of disapproving remark in favor of attempting to make Sixten see how unreasonable he'd been earlier.

"There, it wasn't that bad, was it?"

"I would've liked a Subway salad better."

Connor sighed and didn't insist. The warm food helped him get his strength back, he'd been feeling a bit under the weather after his last trip two days ago. He wasn't as resiliant to jetlag as he'd once been and it would probably only get worse with age, but he didn't want to think about that now. The taco, while undoubtedly glistening with fat, tasted delicious and would probably ensure he'd have enough energy until that evening. He was always so busy running around because of his job that he rarely got to take the time to enjoy a meal in this way. It was nice listening to Sixten talk to Ninian, and Connor liked watching Ninian's agile hands move around as he answered Sixten's remarks with a smile. Text messages could only get so much information across and their respective lives didn't allow them time to properly sit down for a video call.

Eventually they hit the road again. Sixten and Ninian switched, and this time Ninian decided he'd sit in the back with Connor so they'd watch something together on the tablet he'd fished out of his backpack to pass time. By some miracle, Sixten didn't put his horrible music back on full volume and actually let them enjoy the movie that had lately interested Ninian. Cinematography probably would've been his choice of career if he hadn't been so good with kids. Connor watched Ninian comment some scenes as the story progressed, and it was around the moment the protagonist was starting to uncover some of her family's dark secrets that his eyelids became heavy again. He tried to keep his stinging eyes open but the combined effect of jetlag and digestion proved too powerful for him to fight against and he started nodding off.

Ninian felt his brother list against him and looked to the side in surprise, because Connor had never really been the cuddly type during a movie, and he felt a burst of fondness when he realized that the man was simply falling asleep during it. He adjusted the way he was holding the tablet and lightly tipped Connor closer with an encouraging hand so that his older brother could lay his head on his shoulder. Connor followed the movement with little resistance, murmured some quiet apology, and Ninian just gave him a soft pat on the arm to communicate that this was perfectly fine. He noticed the way Sixten glanced up to the rearview mirror in what could almost be perceived as approval and didn't say anything to disturb Connor.

The hour was spent in peaceful quiet, save for the music. Ninian didn't mind it as much as Connor did and at least it wasn't too loud that it stopped his brother from sleeping, so Ninian didn't bother Sixten with demands to lower the sound level. He knew it wasn't just out of his ridiculous sense of provocation that Sixten insisted to listen to this kind of track. Sure, it had started during his rebellious teen phase, but he even used to study to heavy metal. It was soothing to him, somehow.

They pulled over two hours later when Sixten expressed a sudden craving for coffee. "Plus you guys probably need to take a massive shit by now after eating those huge tacos."

Ninian assured him they didn't and then asked: " _Need to switch?_ "

"Nah, I'm good for another two hours. I just feel like a hot drink. Do you want to stay here or come with us?"

" _I'll stay,_ " signed Ninian. He didn't really feel like walking around the rest area when he was in the middle of watching a second movie, it would take him out of it. 

Connor pretended he hadn't been woken up.

"Hey, Connor, I see you. You're gonna buy me that coffee."

Connor frowned annoyedly and opened his eyes to glare at Sixten, but the threat was disminished by the genuine yawn that followed. "Yeah, yeah... Okay."

Sixten leaned away and got out of the car, and just as Connor was about to do the same he felt Ninian take him by the hand. He turned around and asked: "What is it?"

Ninian grinned at him and slipped something in his palm, which Connor realized were the sauce packets from Taco Bell.

" _For his coffee,_ " signed Ninian with a complicit air.

Connor hadn't yet managed to figure out how he'd get his revenge for the migraine earlier, and he felt the corners of his lips curl up. "Nines, you're the best."

" _I know._ "

Connor slipped them in his pocket and pushed the car door open to step outside, and he followed his twin into the service centre.

"I gotta go take a piss," said Sixten upon seeing a restroom sign nearby. 

"I can go ahead and buy the drinks," suggested Connor.

"Yeah, do that. And get Nines a hot chocolate with my money since I owe him one."

Connor nodded and said: "Sure." Internally he was rubbing his hands.

They parted ways and Connor walked up to the vending machines next to the shop which was opposite to the restroom and the cafeteria. The change clattered inside one of the coffee vending machines and Connor quickly squeezed the contents of the ketchup, salt and mustard packets into the cup, conscientiously stirring the dark liquid before depositing it on the nearest table. Then he filled another cup with hot chocolate and walked up to the cold drinks vending machine to buy himself a can of Minute Maid. Sixten joined up with him seconds later and they started carrying everything back to the car, and along the way Connor tried not to eye him too obviously. It was when Connor was handing Ninian his chocolate that he heard a spraying sound next to him, and both the older and younger brother's heads snapped up to watch Sixten wiping his mouth in disgust.

"What the fuck kind of coffee is this?!"

"A mustard-ketchup one," smugly answered Connor.

Sixten scowled at him and ground out: "Why."

"For trying to explode my eardrums this morning."

"You want me to succeed? Because I can do that."

Ninian slapped the car door and the twins jolted in his direction. He annoyedly signed: " _Stop the threats, Six. A prank's fair for what happened._ "

Realization dawned on Sixten's face and he hissed: "No way. _You_ gave him the mustard and the ketchup?"

Ninian nodded, not looking repentant in the slightest. Connor had taken a cautious step back in case Sixten decided to throw his msutard-ketchup coffee all over his nice and casual but also fairly expensive clothes.

"Fuck you both. I _need_ the coffee, you jerks, I'm not drinking it for fun! We've still got hours left to drive! I don't know what's stopping me from throwing this in your faces."

"Calm down, it's not a big deal," said Connor.

Sixten turned on him and visciously said: "Like _you'd_ know what it's like to drive when you're tired."

Connor frowned. "It's not a big deal because I'll buy you another one, you ass. That's what I meant."

The other opened his mouth to retaliate but then Ninian reached out through the door to grab his wrist. Sixten looked down in surprise and irritation, and then understood from the look on his brother's face that he was on the verge of going too far. In the end he tore his wrist free of Ninian's grasp and moodily stomped over to the nearest trashcan to dump his disgusting coffee while Connor walked away in the opposite direction to get a second one. A few minutes later Connor was in the backseat with Ninian again and Sixten was leaning against the hood of the car finishing his drink, his only company the unpleasant and growing certainty that he'd been in the wrong. So he crumpled up his empty plastic cup, went to throw it out as well, then climbed back into the car and said: "Sorry about just now, Connor."

Connor glanced up at him and shrugged. "It's fine, I'm used to you being a gratuitous asshole."

Sixten let out a dry laugh and didn't try to argue with that. He buckled his seatbelt and turned the key in the ignition, and the car took off again.

The scenery gradually changed from the flat and boring interstate highway to weaving roads in the mountains. Ninian had set his tablet back down after finishing his third movie and was simply gazing out the window as Connor's head weighed heavily on his shoulder. He wondered if Connor was always this tired and if there was anyone to look out for him where he lived. Connor hadn't talked about having anyone in his life, just like Sixten, and given his profession Ninian didn't have a hard time guessing this was because he was simply not available for a relationship. Connor when he was younger had always said he'd get married and look after his family, but it seemed this idyllic vision of his future had yet to pass. Sixten didn't want kids and was more of a one-nighter kind of guy. As for Ninian, he didn't feel like telling his family about his girlfriend until he was certain it would last. 

Connor's head started lolling off Ninian so he gently guided it back in the crook of his shoulder, and then he looked at his brother's hands. His brow creased slightly and he reached out to extend the limp fingers. His scrutiny confirmed the feeling he'd had since he'd noticed Connor slowly eating his meal like it was the best thing to ever happen to him: Connor had always had slender hands but his fingers were thinner than last year. He probably wasn't looking after himself very well. Ninian had heard that busy entrepreneurs could develop a tendency to skip meals and forgo necessary hours of sleep and now that he was certain Connor was one of these people, he'd make sure they had a talk about his health. At least Ninian didn't need to worry about that for Sixten, the other twin prioritized self-care above all else. It was why he'd lost his last job when he'd refused to work additional paid hours because they were too early and too late. It shouldn't have been enough for him to get fired since he was good at what he did otherwise, but Sixten said it was because his manager was a bitch who'd had it out for him from the start. Ninian suspected it was because of a one-nighter gone wrong. Sixten had never complained about her before just a month prior to his dismissal.

Ninian laid Connor's hand back down. At least Thanksgiving meant everyone would eat well and maybe Connor would gain some weight. Ninian decided he'd tell their dad about it too so Hank could give Connor a piece of advice of his own. It wasn't okay for anyone to sacrifice their health for their job and Ninian didn't want that to happen to anyone he cared for.

"What's up?" suddenly said Sixten.

Ninian looked at the rearview mirror. " _What?_ "

"Why the long face? Is it the taco finally acting up?"

Ninian smiled. " _No, stop it with the taco._ "

Sixten's brown eyes were curious. "So then what is it?"

" _I'm-_ " Nines aborted his gesture, not sure what it was he'd say exactly. He knew Sixten wasn't completely uncaring about Connor, his earlier apology and mention of the migraine were additional proof of that; but it was true that Sixten was often too hard on Connor. He could lack empathy where his twin was concerned because of his deep-rooted sense of inferiority that had been born from Connor's numerous successes as a teen while Sixten struggled to make it through school. This was why Ninian hesitated to share his concern, because he didn't want Sixten to just ignore it or throw it back in his face.

Sixten's gaze flickered from the road back to Ninian's reflection and he insisted: "What?"

Ninian decided to just go with it. Sixten had been lenient with his music ever since they'd seen how tired Connor was, after all. That had to count for something.

" _I'm worried about Connor. I don't think he's doing okay._ "

Sixten looked back at the road and flatly said: "Right."

He sounded a bit resentful and Ninian didn't know why. Sixten didn't look at him again, which annoyed Ninian because they both knew he hated it when people refused to listen to him in that way. He wasn't angry because he had nothing else to say anyway, and at least Sixten had acknowledged what he'd just said about Connor, but it still stung.

They took a break when they reached Sixten's fourth hour of driving. It was one of the more pleasant stops they'd made in Ninian's opinion: they'd been going down forest roads for the last fourty minutes and the rest area they'd reached was near a cliff, high above the slopes of pine trees. The skies were painted in the pale pink and orange hues of a November sunset and the breeze was blowing cold against his face which was still warm from the inside of the car. Ninian went to lean against one of the picnic tables and checked his phone, answered a few loving messages and then slipped it back in his pocket when he heard Sixten's scraping footsteps approaching. He looked over his shoulder and asked: " _Where's Connor?_ "

"He's coming, still drowsy."

Ninian watched his brother sit on the table's surface instead of the bench and hesitated a bit, but he eventually lightly tapped on Sixten's shoulder and signed: " _Are you okay?_ "

Sixten stared at him. "Yeah, why?"

" _Your reaction was weird earlier. You don't do that to me usually._ "

Guilt showed on Sixten's face but he didn't turn away again, even if he probably would've liked to hide it. "...Sorry. I know that was a dick move."

" _Yes. Is there a reason?_ "

Sixten rubbed the side of his head and didn't answer. There definitely was something going on.

" _Is it about Connor?_ "

"No. I mean, yeah? It's just... He's not the only one with problems, you know. And you're always going all doting mother on him."

Ninian felt his eyebrows rise. " _Are you jealous?_ "

Sixten's features hardened. "No!"

But he was, that much was obvious to Ninian. He pushed himself off the table to stand in front of his older brother. " _Six, I can't guess what's wrong with you unless you tell me. I guessed for Connor because the signs are physical for him, but you look in good health._ "

Sixten glared at him some more, and then the challenging tension in his shoulders dropped and he muttered: "This is stupid."

Ninian didn't move and waited.

Sixten shook his head. "I'm just being a little bitch. I twisted my wrist pretty badly during mechanic work at my new gig and it's stressing me out because now it's more prone to injury and I don't want to lose my job again if it happens. That's all it is."

" _Losing a job is stressful and it's recent for you, of course you wouldn't be over it just yet._ "

Sixten shrugged. "Yeah, well. I'd like to get over it because this fucking sucks."

Ninian nodded. He'd never been fired but he could imagine how bad that must have felt. Just thinking about it happening to him made him nervous. He liked his job too much to ever envision quitting it.

" _Is your wrist okay?_ "

Sixty waved his concerns away. "Yeah, yeah, it's fine. Don't worry. What about you? That accident must've been scary."

Ninian nodded. " _It was, but I'm okay. My motorcycle is the only thing that really got damaged._ "

Just then they heard gravel crunch and Connor appeared next to them a few seconds later.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Your face when you sleep," said Sixty. "It's gross."

"Screw you too," replied Connor, and he rubbed at his eyes. "How are neither of you tired? You've been driving all day."

Both of them shrugged, and Sixten pointed out: "You look like shit."

"I feel like it, too."

Ninian said: " _You probably had overdue sleep._ "

"You're not wrong," conceded Connor. "This jetlag is pretty terrible."

Ninian was surprised to hear Sixten ask: "Is it just the jetlag? Because it kinda looks like you might've picked up some bad health habits this year."

Connor looked equally taken aback, and then he warily squinted at his twin. "Why would you care?"

"I don't. Ninian's the worried one. But now that I'm looking for it even I can tell you've lost some weight."

Connor incredulously asked: " _You're_ concerned about _my_ health? Are you ill?"

Sixten sighed annoyedly. "Fess up, Connor. What's going on with you?"

Connor crossed his arms on his chest. "It's not that big a deal, I'm just a little overworked."

" _Overworked enough to lose weight_ ," insisted Nines.

"Look, I'm not saying this is optimal, but that's just the way my job goes. It'll get better."

" _Will it?_ "

"Yes, it will. Things fluctuate a lot in business, they'll be calmer eventually. You guys really don't need to worry about me."

Sixten scoffed. "You don't have to tell me twice."

"Oh, drop the act, Six. You just asked me if I was okay."

"Doesn't mean I care."

"Do you plan on acting like the tough guy all through Thanksgiving? Let me tell you, it's going to get old very fast."

Sixten gave him the finger, which Ninian promptly slapped away with a disapproving look. " _Stop fighting._ "

Sixten crossed his arms over his chest in a reflection of Connor's posture. "You know what's gonna get old real fast? Both of you ganging up on me all the time."

"We're not ganging up on you."

" _I just don't want you giving anyone the finger. If Connor had done this I would've reacted the same way._ "

"Yeah, right," bitterly said Sixten.

" _It's true._ "

"Stop being rude, you'll see what happens," said Connor. "It'll be magical. No one will be pissed at you anymore."

"Fuck off, Connor."

Ninian sighed. " _I don't know how anyone else could handle you two. You never stop._ "

"That's why you're the one here with us," said Connor. 

" _Can't you guys just have a nice moment?_ "

"Apparently not."

"Because you're fucking annoying," grumbled Sixty.

"And you're a huge prick," retorted Connor.

" _It's a good thing I already have a lot of practice with toddlers, because you both give their immaturity a run for its money._ "

Connor shot Ninian a highly offended look. "How am _I_ being immature?"

" _You're enabling his temper tantrums._ "

"Not throwing temper tantrums," spat Sixten.

" _Dad would beg to disagree. Speaking of, we should get going._ "

"How long do we have left on the trip?" sullenly asked Connor.

Ninian lifted two fingers and then turned to Sixten. _My turn to drive._

"Yeah, yeah."

Night fell during the last two hours of their trip. Sixten and Connor hadn't talked to each other again before the latter fell asleep once more and Ninian had gone back to calmly listening to his music, hoping that the twins would make up before they reached Hank's house. He didn't doubt that Sixten held no grudge against him because both of his brothers were physically incapable of staying mad at him, but sometimes it felt like Sixten really was just waiting for the smallest of arguments to have an excuse to resent Connor. Ninian knew talking about it now would be pointless; he'd need both hands free to talk about something so important and driving would split their focus. They'd already spoken about this thing between Connor and Sixten many times over the years and had managed to smooth it over for a little while every time, but it never really went away. Ninian couldn't wait to get home. He'd always had a lot of patience and it had gotten better the longer he worked with screaming and grabby children, but a whole day of having to stay in the same close perimeter with the fighting twins was getting tiring even for him.

Sixten stared out the window and tried to make out shapes in the dark scenery. The moon was high in the night sky and shone bright white light down onto the long winding road. The paths always started getting snakier when they approached the family home and Sixten was glad that they didn't have a lot of time left on the drive until they joined up with Hank. He'd missed his dad, and because it wasn't in Sixten's habits to call anyone at all they hadn't talked in a while. Sixten quietly hoped that they'd get together around a game or a movie that evening and have a good time. It was a bit stupid that he was the one hoping for something that wasn't a fight between siblings since he knew he often initiated arguments with Connor, but he couldn't stop doing it. Hank's presence usually helped to dissuade him from pushing Connor too far, so he'd at least slow down in his provocations and maybe they could have a fun moment that lasted more than ten minutes before they argued again.

The shadows of the trees that rose and fell with each slope and valley were like paper cut-outs covered in ink and Sixten reminisced what it had been like to gaze at this kind of scenery as a child. Something lightly tapped his thigh and he looked over at Ninian.

" _What are you thinking?_ " signed his brother.

"Childhood stuff. I remember when I was a kid and we were on a night ride I'd imagine there were monsters running next to the car."

" _Monsters?_ "

"Yeah." He paused, trying to rememorate exactly how he used to picture them. "Like long black dogs with no faces. Their legs were thin and their paws ended in smoke."

Ninian nodded approvingly, like he'd imagined what that would look like and appreciated the depiction he'd come up with. 

"What about you?" asked Sixten.

Ninian smiled a little and signed: " _Giant whales. Dragons. Dinosaurs._ "

"In the forest?"

" _The sky. The moon was their eye._ "

"Oh, you mean like they'd be so huge that we could only see their eye from where we were? That's _cool_ ," enthusiastically said Sixten.

Ninian nodded. " _Imagine a huge paw coming down and crushing us. Or a whale's tail fin._ "

"Like, end of the world scenario?"

He nodded again.

"You had freaky daydreams," said Sixten appreciatively. "That would make a great movie."

" _I agree._ "

"You guys had cool imaginations," mumbled Connor from the back. He'd been woken up by Sixten's voice.

His twin turned around. "What did you think was out there?"

"Creepy naked men on the side of the road."

Sixten snorted. Ninian smiled widely, amused. 

"It's why I couldn't sleep in the car," added Connor.

"But you never watched horror, you were a total sissy. Why would you have come up with that?"

Connor shrugged. "I think it was because I had a hallucination like that once and it really stuck with me."

"Well that sucks."

"Yeah, your scenarios are way cooler. I really like your shadow dogs, Sixten. Wouldn't say no to having one of those."

Sixten held back a proud grin, not wanting Connor to know that his words made him feel childishly happy. "They'd tear your creepy naked men to shreds."

Connor for his part smiled outright. "And then I'd give those good boys all the pats they deserve."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey pumpkin!
> 
> Sixten is so huffy. Also it's good picking a salad when you're watching your calories, my friend, but adding the dressing defeats the whole purpose of it.  
> As you can see both Six and Con are absolutely defenseless when it comes to Nines. And very proud of him, he's all grown up and they don't need to protect him anymore.  
> Pranks seem to be a recurring theme when I write fluff for DBH. I can't help it.  
> I am _soft_ for the Connor and Nines supportive brothership. I can't write enough of it.  
> Aw, we almost had a nice moment there boys... The setting was ideal with the sunset and everything. Oh, well. Siblings will be siblings.  
> I had the same imagination as Nines for night rides. What about you?
> 
> Thanks for reading, leave a comment if you feel like it!


	3. The Anderson household

It was late in the evening when they finally pulled into the familiar driveway of the Anderson household where they'd played football and tackled Sumo so many times before. Hank stepped up to the door when he heard the car rolling up to the front of his house and let the cold winter air inside, lifting up a hand in greeting with a wide smile on his face. His old Saint-Bernard lumbered up to his side and waited patiently for the three men to get out of the car.

"Hey Dad!" called out Sixten. Connor and Ninian waved at him, one after stretching out his arms and back, the other while he walked around the car to get to the trunk.

"Hey there, boys," answered Hank. "How was the trip?"

"Hell," said Sixten, and his father laughed.

" _It could've gone worse_ ," signed Ninian before reaching into the trunk and handing Connor one of his bags.

"It was something," said the latter. 

"Okay well come on in, dinner's ready. I made mac and cheese."

"Nice," said Sixten.

"What happened to eating healthy?" Connor asked.

"Shut up, mac and cheese doesn't count."

The mac and cheese was delicious as always, one of the rare dishes Hank could make without messing up. Their childhood diet hadn't been the most complex after their mom had left but they still experienced that culinary nostalgia every time they ate a meal that was similar to back then. Connor was more bright-eyed now that he'd shaken off his muzzy sleepiness from the car and Sixten watched him play with Sumo next to the couch while his plate laid unfinished on the table. Normally Hank would have told Connor to stop behaving like a goddamn kid and finish his meal before he ran off to play, but he was engrossed in his conversation with Ninian who was doing a dramatic retelling of their trip. Sixten would occasionnally grumble in protest when Ninian exaggerated how immature he'd acted and would add on his worse version of the story when it was Connor's turn to be slandered. Connor didn't care, he was too busy having fun getting slobbered on by an excited Sumo.

"Okay," said Hank once he'd finished prodding both Sixten and Ninian for hilarious details on how pissy everyone had gotten during the trip, "Go put your things away while I clean up. Connor, finish your plate."

"Oh!" exclaimed Connor, and he scrambled upright. "I almost forgot! I have a gift for you."

Hank rose his eyebrows. "For me?"

Connor quickly made his way to his bags. "You said your tablet was broken last time and I happened to go to Hong Kong on my last trip, so I thought you could use an upgrade."

Hank hadn't expected this at all and was clearly pleased by this surprise. "That's very thoughtful of you."

"I hope it won't be too difficult for you to get used to cutting edge technology," teased Connor as he walked over with the flat rectangular box in his hands.

"Hardy har har, I know who you get your sense of humor from," Hank said with a roll of his eyes, and then he smiled at him when Connor gave the tablet to him. "Thanks, Connor."

Connor smiled back. "I'm glad it makes you happy."

"It does. Now finish your plate before you help me figure this shit out."

"What a suck-up," grumbled Sixten as he started unpacking his things in his old room. The twins had originally slept in the same bunk bed but because they would always fight as they grew up their father had eventually decided to switch Connor and Ninian's places. Connor of course got to have the individual room, and this arrangement stayed even once he'd moved out because Hank had decided to make it a hybrid between guest room and office. 

" _The gift made Dad happy_ ," Ninian signed in front of him.

"Yeah, I saw that," Sixten replied with some asperity. "He's still a suck-up."

" _You're too negative_." Ninian had a disapproving look. " _Can't you let things be nice the way they're intended to be?_ "

"Bite me."

Ninian sighed and proceeded to put away his own things in his drawers. There wasn't much. He set his tablet and chargers down on the side and then pulled out a drawer to dump the remaining contents of his bag in it. He pushed it shut and was zipping up his bag when he noticed Sixten staring at him.

"You're kidding," said Sixten.

Ninian frowned, confused.

"You _weren't_ lying?"

Ninian caught on and couldn't resist silently laughing at the expression on his brother's face. " _It's fine, I have everything I need here already._ "

"Yeah? What if Dad had thrown out your old clothes by mistake? What would you have done then, huh?"

" _You have underwear my size._ "

"Like hell. God, Nines, you're so careless sometimes."

Ninian shrugged, completely unaffected by Sixten's disapproval. " _Things always turn out all right in the end anyway._ "

"Because you're a lucky motherfucker," Sixten retorted.

" _I guess so._ " Ninian went to put his empty bag away with a little smile.

Connor climbed up the stairs to the guest room half an hour later fully intending to take a shower for the night, and noticed with faint annoyance that light was already seeping from beneath the closed door. He resolved to go later and dumped his bags next to the guest bed then laid down on the mattress with his phone in hand without taking the time to put his clothes away in the empty closet. Years of travelling abroad for short periods of time had trained him to organize his belongings in his bag so that he wouldn't lose time packing and unpacking. He didn't need furniture to put away his stuff. Connor was sifting through his emails for the fifteenth time that day when he heard a light knock on his door, and he looked up from his pillow to the man standing in the entrance. Ninian asked: " _Can I come in?_ "

"Sure, what is it?"

The mattress dipped where Ninian sat at his side. For a moment he didn't move and Connor waited, a bit worried to see his brother so indecisive. Ninian raised his hands, stilled again. Then he eventually signed: " _I told Dad about how you lost weight._ "

Connor frowned. "Nines, I said you didn't need to worry."

Ninian nodded. " _I know, but I can't help it._ "

"Why are you so worked up about this? I haven't lost a lot and I know I'll be gaining it back soon enough. Dad had the same problem because of long shifts, remember?"

Ninian gazed down at his hands.

"Nines? Is there something I should know about that would help me understand why you're feeling so concerned right now?"

His younger brother shifted uneasily, looked away, and slowly signed: " _I don't know if I'm ready to talk about it._ "

"Well if you're not I'm not going to pressure you into it. Whatever it is, though, I'm not going to tell anyone else if you don't want me to." Connor paused, and then asked: "Are _you_ all right?"

Ninian quickly nodded. He looked back at him and seemed to struggle for a bit, and then he hastily signed as if the faster he did it the easier it would be to get it over with: " _I have a girlfriend._ "

Connor was equally surprised, confused and happy. "That's great, Nines. Is this what you're being all weird about?"

" _Don't tell the others._ "

"Okay, I won't," simply said Connor.

Ninian looked relieved. " _I just don't want them to push me to act a certain way in my relationship with her._ "

"I get it. But what's this got to do with what we were talking about?"

" _When we first met she had the same kind of problem you do and she didn't handle it as well as Dad. So now I get more worried when I see someone risking their health for their job._ "

"Is she okay?"

" _Better now that she's changed jobs._ "

Connor silently stared at Ninian for a while, and then he said: "Look, I know I don't have the healthiest way of handling my job, but this is common in my line of work. I'm not her, all right? I've had this happen to me before and I'm used to it."

" _What will you do if it gets too much for you to handle?_ "

"Then I won't keep it to myself. I'll get help."

" _Is that a promise?_ "

"Yes, I promise." Connor pushed himself up on his elbow and tousled his brother's hair. "Don't worry Nines, I'm okay."

Ninian ducked out from beneath his hand with a slight glower and signed: " _I'm not six, Connor._ "

Connor grinned at him. "That's true, you're 6'2"."

Ninian rolled his eyes at his shitty joke but smiled as well.

Sixten took so long in the bathroom that Connor eventually went to pound on the door to yell at him to hurry, to which Sixten replied he'd barely started a few minutes ago. Connor called out his bullshit and there was another fight through the door. Ninian had expected this to happen but he was already lying in bed and the twins were Hank's responsability now that they were home, so he didn't even look up from his tablet. Their dad eventually came up the stairs to unlock the door with his trusty screwdriver and Sixten yelled at them to fuck off while he scrambled to grab his towel before anyone could see him naked. He'd just been hanging out beneath the hot water for the last twenty minutes because it felt nice and he didn't really care that anyone else was waiting for their turn. 

"You're not alone, Sixten," gruffly said Hank. "And you're not a kid anymore, so show some self-awareness and be the goddamn adult you're supposed to be. Act like one if you have to."

"I was almost done anyway!" Sixten shouted at his retreating back.

"You should've been done at least half an hour ago," Connor pointed out from his spot where he was standing with his arms crossed.

Sixten glared at him and spun around, grumbling: "Can't even take a shower in peace."

"Not when it's an hour-long one."

"I didn't take _an hour_."

"You took long enough."

"Okay, get out! I'm still butt-ass naked in case you haven't noticed!"

"Two minutes, Six," warned Connor, and he went to get his own change of clothes for the night.

Sixten was in his and Ninian's room a few seconds later still muttering and cursing to himself.

Ninian glanced up, letting his tablet fall back on his pillow, and signed: " _Yes, you're angry, I know. Can you stop making noise please?_ "

"Ugh," grunted Sixten in the exact same manner he used to as a teenager, and he climbed the bunk bed with such vigor that it shook Ninian's bed.

Ninian waited for the earthquake to subside and tapped lightly on the wooden frame, then held out his hand to sign: " _Thank you._ "

A pillow was thrown at his arm.

The three brothers quickly fell asleep after a long day of driving and the night was peaceful. Sixten was the first to wake up and because he'd never been one to just lie around in bed he immediately climbed down the ladder, rousing Ninian in the process. Both of them went to get breakfast ready and were joined by Hank ten minutes later when they let a pan fall and hit the ground with a loud clang. Connor was the last to appear in the kitchen. He only realized in this kind of situation how efficiently the smell of food brought him back to consciousness, mornings were never like this in his flat or wherever else he'd wake up alone.

Hank looked up from his plate of eggs and bacon and said: "Hey, Con. Slept well?"

The man rubbed his face as he stepped closer to the table. "Still a bit tired."

" _He's got a lot of hours of sleep to catch up on_ ," Ninian explained to their dad.

"Really?" said Hank, directing a concerned look in the direction of his eldest.

"It's fine, it's fine," said Connor, waving his hand. "Nines just worries too much."

" _Sixten's worried too_ ," Ninian pointed out.

"I am _not_ ," bristled Sixten over his bowl of coffee.

" _He's not_ ," amended Ninian with a tired glance at the heavens.

"I said I was fine," sullenly insisted Connor. "And by the way, Dad, Nines told me he told you about the weight thing but I'm really completely okay and you're going to stuff me with food soon anyway so it doesn't matter. Why are we always talking about me? I'm sure you guys have more interesting stuff to say."

"Not in the morning I don't," grumbled Sixten. "Nines, pass me the knife."

" _No stabbing._ "

Hank chuckled and Sixten rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny. _Knife._ "

Ninian complied and also pushed the butter closer to him so Sixten wouldn't have to reach out, even though he hadn't asked for it. Ninian was the kind of person to guess what people wanted and make it easier for them to have it.

In the end they talked about how they'd probably have to spend the whole day preparing for Thanksgiving, and their dad explained what tasks would be assigned to each of them until the next day. He'd gone and done all the necessary shopping he could do in advance but they'd still need fresh products, and there was of course cleaning to do in the house, Sumo to wash, leaves to rake, baking and cooking to try and not mess up. The three brothers weren't all that eager to be responsible for the cleaning and raking, and once they'd put all the dirty cutlery and dishware from breakfast in the dishwasher they ended up playing rock paper scissors to decide who'd get stuck with it. It was Ninian who lost.

"Not so lucky now, are we?" said Sixten with a mocking little smile.

Ninian moodily swatted his shoulder before rising from his chair to go get the rake.

"All right, Connor and I will go get the groceries while Sixten washes Sumo, and then you'll both help me cook."

"Why can't I be the one to wash Sumo?" asked Connor.

"Because I don't want Sixten yapping my ear off about how I should buy low-cal shit to eat on Thanksgiving."

Sixten lifted his hands in surrender, but he did say: "You'd eat healthier."

"Oh, shut up, you knucklehead."

They parted ways and Hank drove his son down to their local supermarket where Connor had bought many snacks, candy and donuts with his brothers behind their father's back. Hank had only caught them out about two out of three times, and had been bribed into not telling their mom nine out of ten times. Connor and Hank started walking down the isle and going over their shopping list, and that was the moment when Hank finally broached the subject Connor had told him not to worry about.

"You gotta eat more, son. Ninian's right, you're practically skin and bones."

Connor heaved a sigh. "You're exaggerating. I _know_ , Dad, and I will."

"You're an adult now and I can't make sure you eat correctly, but trust me, Connor, I would if I could."

"I'll try not to skip any more meals," promised Connor.

"Try not to, or won't?"

Connor eyed him annoyedly and said: "I won't."

"Good," said Hank, and that was that. They resumed reading the list and then split up to cover more ground.

On the other side of the town, Ninian finished raking up the leaves in the front lawn and walked back inside to find Sixten very much _not_ washing Sumo and watching TV instead. Ninian asked him if that was what he was supposed to do and Sixten had the gall to answer yes with a straight face, so Ninian swatted him again- on the top of the head this time- and emphatically pointed to Sumo. Sixten gave in with a lot of grumbling.

Neither Hank not Connor were surprised to find that Sixten wasn't done with his task upon their return nor was it unexpected to find him sprawled out on the bathroom floor covered in soap and slobber beneath Sumo's weight. The Saint-Bernard didn't obey to anyone besides Hank and Connor. Ninian had heard his brother struggling in the bathroom but hadn't intervened because it was an amusing distraction to listen to Sixten cursing at Sumo while he wiped the kitchen surfaces. 

There were a few incidents when Connor and Hank started preparing the meals by themselves, like the elder brother mixing up the teaspoons and tablespoons measurements and their father spilling red wine on the floor- Ninian wasn't happy about that one. Luckily Sixten was soon done with drying Sumo and he jumped in the fray, his cooking skills quickly setting them back on the right track. They spent the entirety of the day making sure their home and food would be decent and wearily gathered on the couch at the end of the day to watch a movie while they ate pizza.

Unsurprisingly, Connor nodded off about just as fast as his father did because of the combined warmth of the blanket and weight of Ninian's arm on his shoulders. He hadn't asked to be cuddled but Ninian had done it anyway because he liked holding onto people when he was watching a movie and he knew there were higher chances of Sixten nudging him away than Connor, especially considering how few qualms the older had had to sleep on Ninian's shoulder in the car. Maybe Connor needed this kind of contact lately. Sixten for his part had hogged all of his father's share of the blanket. Sumo's head was laying on his knees which he was absent-mindedly petting as he stared at the television screen. Ninian smiled. He was glad to be here with his family.

It was next morning that Connor discovered what diabolical plan Sixten had come up with while Connor had been asleep in the car when he found a suspicious piece of paper peeking out from behind the buffet in the living room just as the guests were about to arrive. Irritation peaked sky-high when he saw the picture that had been taken while he'd been in a very disgraceful state of serenity. Connor slammed the window to the buffet shut and stomped up to his twin, who'd been putting the finishing touches on the appetizers. 

He thrust the paper into his face and said: "Nice try, but I figured out your stupid little prank."

Sixten leaned back so that the picture would come back into focus and he let out a snarky little laugh when he recognized it.

"What, you really think that's the only one?"

The doorbell rang, Hank went to open the door. Sixten had a shit-eating grin and Connor realized that this was exactly what they meant by 'smiling like the cat that got the cream'. He crumpled up the picture in a ball as Sixten spun around and threw it at the back of his twin's head, and Ninian smiled widely as Sixten ran past him laughing. Thanksgiving was going to be hell but it was precisely because they were spending it together that it was worth going through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey pumpkin!
> 
> Reaching the end of a trip is both a relief and a pain? Like, when you arrive you don't really want to move because you're so lethargic in your seat. But then stepping inside your destination with all the new smells feels really nice!
> 
> Initially I hadn't really thought of focusing on once they'd be home but of course it felt like the natural progression to reach a nice ending. I really enjoyed depicting how the boys kind of fall back into childhood once they've got their dad and their dog back, just like old times. And the common bathroom. Numerous are the fights that took place in there.  
> All three of them have struggles of their own in their lives, but spending some time together can help take a step back from all of it.  
> Couldn't resist writing in the couch scene, now that's some good fluff.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment if you feel like it!

**Author's Note:**

> Come by and say hi on [Tumblr](https://lost-tanuki.tumblr.com/post/184765301043/dbh-fics) (link to my DBH fic masterlist), and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/losttanuki)!
> 
> I also have a Discord server called the Pumpkin Patch server, you can pm me on Tumblr/Twitter to join. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!


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